Turkey ready to help establish Afghan peace: Ambassador

AVA- Turkey is ready to help establish peace in Afghanistan, the country’s ambassador to Kabul said on Wednesday. 
Speaking to press members at the Turkish Embassy in the Afghan capital, Oguzhan Ertugrul said: "Turkey is ready to help on the matter of peace if Afghanistan is willing [for us to do so]."
His remarks came after Moscow hosted a conference on Afghanistan last week, bringing together the Taliban and government for direct talks for the first time at a high level.
Participants at the meeting focused on launching direct inter-Afghan dialogue aiming at stabilization of the country and “agreed to continue consultations within the framework of this mechanism," the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a final communique following the meeting.
Stating that Turkey would continue its cooperation with Afghanistan in every field, Ertugrul said, “As Turkey, we are also strengthening our economic cooperation with Afghanistan. 
“In this regard, an air corridor was opened between Turkey and Afghanistan. Turkish companies have started investing in Afghanistan.”
Landlocked Afghanistan has established air corridors for trade with Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, India and Saudi Arabia in the past two years.  
Fresh fruit, dry fruit, medicinal herbs, carpets, gemstones, and asafoetida have been the main exports on these routes. 
TIKA projects 
Ertugrul also hailed projects of the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) carried out in the country.  
“Turkey has realized hundreds of projects in Afghanistan through TIKA -- a majority of them being education projects. It has built more than 100 schools and thousands of students have been studying at these schools.”  
The military relations between the two countries have also been very good from the past to this day, Ertugrul stated.  
“Right now Turkey is training Afghan police and soldiers. Turkish soldiers are also providing the security of Kabul International Airport,” he said.